Improvement in hemp-brakes



w. w. HAMPTON.

Hemp Brake.

Patented April 21-, 1857.

WADE W. HAMPTON, OF

' IMPROVEMENT I WVINOHESTER, VIRGINIA.

N HEMP-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. R 7,092, dated April g1, 1857.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WADE W. HAMPTON, of

Winchester, in the county of Frederick and behind. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal sec tion through the frame and breaking apparatus. Fig. 3 represents a vertical cross-section through the feeding, breaking, and discharging apparatus. Fig. 4 represents a detached View of the device for operating the feeding-clamps.

The nature of this invention relates to that class of hemp-brakes in which the material is fed, broken, and discharged in hanks.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction. and operation.

A represents the frame of the machine, which supports the several parts hereinafter to be described.

B is a roller, supported at its bearings by means of standards 0. Thebar E is suspended to a cord or cords, D, which latter is wound upon roller B, and the bar E can be made to slide up and down in the grooves a of the standards 0 by turning pulley F. The bar E supports four arms, G, to the lower sides of which the jaws b and c are pivoted. The jaw 11 is stationary, but the jaw 0 can be turn ed on its pivot. The end of the clamp 0 passes through a loop of the cord cl, which passes around a pulley, H, and as said pulley is turned by means of handle 9 the jaw c is moved, and thus the clamp is opened or closed. Vhen the clamps b and c are distended, the material can be inserted, and upon their turning pulley H they are closed upon said material and kept in that position by pawl h, preventing ratchet-wheel I and pulley H from turning. By pressingthe shank X of pawl h upward said pawl will be disengaged from the ratchet-wheel I, and spring y will then force the cord d backward and open the jaws. The apparatus for breaking the hemp is arranged below the table K. Saidtable has four openings, Z, cut into it for the passage of the material from the feedingclamps to the brakes. The breaking apparatus consists of a beam, L, which is caused to oscillate on a center pivot, K. The rocking motion is imparted to this beam by means of crank-pulley M, which operates pitman N, which latter is linked to a spring-arm, O, of the beam L. The beam L is provided with bent irons, yokes, or boxes m, and as the beam oscillates each of said irons passes between the bars 0, attached in corresponding apertures of the frame A, so that the bent irons m may partly pass through said apertures. The beam L is further provided with bars p, which, together with the bars 0, serve to break the hemp, said bars being attached within the bent arms m, and the two systems of bars being arranged alternately one over the'othcr.

P represents two levers, which are pivoted on one pin to'the lower side of the frame A.- These levers can be operated by means of a hand-lever, Q, which passes through a slot in at its lower end to the frame of the machine. By operating hand-lever Q, rod R is moved forward and backward, and rod B being connected with levers P by means of links q, the

or toward the center of frame A.

To the ends of levers P are attached the metal frames r, which support the bearings of rollers s, so that said rollers can turn freely on their bearings. Corresponding rollers, 25, are attached to the frame A, and by thus op erating lever Q the rollers s can be brought in contact with the rollers t.

S S are two shafts running through the en tire length of the machine, and having their tate by means of pulleys connected by a band or rope, T, and on each shaft are keyed at proper places the pulleys U, which are provided with clamps a, which serve to hold the hemp to the circumference of said pulleys in process of discharging the material.

The operation of the machine is :as follows: The hanks of hemp are inserted between the distended jaws b 6. Then by turning the pulleys H the jaws care turned on their pivots and closed upon the jaws b. The operator the table B and through rod R, and is pivoted ends of said levers are swung toward the sides bearings in the frame A, they are caused to ro= then turns the pulley V by hand,whicl1 causes pulley F and 'roller B to turn, by which means the bar E, together with brackets G and cl amps b, are gradually lowered. The hemp to be broken now enters Zthe four openings Z and passes down within the bent irons m, which thus prevent the hemp from being scattered during the operation of breaking. Motion being imparted to the crank-pulley M, the

beam L is oscillated on its pivot at a rapid speed, striking alternately against the sides of frame A, and the material is broken by the. operation of the bars 0 and p, which are brought alternatelyinto such. positions as represented in Fig. 3. Thus the operation is con .tinued, and theb'ar E is lowered until the shanks 00 of the pawls h approach closely the table K, for when they come into contact the pawls -h are disengaged from the ratchetwheels I, and the springs 7 force the jaws c backward, thus causing said jaws to release the hemp. Just before the jaws are tripped the operator pulls lever Q, so as to bring the rollers S against the rollers 2, which now take i-hold of the material, and thus prevent it from dropping. The end of the hemp is now passed around the circumference of the pulleys U, and fastened to them by means of the hinged clamps a, and as the shafts S arerotated the pulleys and clamps take hold of the hemp, drawing it through the breakers and discharging it from the machine. The object of the spring-arm O is to relieve the machine from the too sudden blows of the breakers, its recoil also aiding the breakers past the deadpoints. It also causes the breakers to act as spreaders and shakers for shaking out the woody-portions from the hemp while it is being broken. By this arrangement the hemp is always held in the hank while it passes 

